


Oscailt an Tairseach

by dr_bobanner



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Awesome Sarah (Labyrinth), BAMF Sarah, Comics, Dream Demon, Dreams, F/M, Magic, Post-Labyrinth, Romance, Spells & Enchantments, Temporary Amnesia, The Labyrinth is Conscious, Wishes, comic book, comicbook, semi inspired by Talespinner, writer Sarah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:05:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9285797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dr_bobanner/pseuds/dr_bobanner
Summary: After celebrating her victory over the Labyrinth, Sarah is given a hard choice. To save her mind from going mad from the sights of the Labyrinth while living in the mortal world, she can choose one thing she will never forget. Thankful for what she learned, she chose to remember Jareth, to remember the lessons he taught her on fairness and her true power. For years, she lived with the image of a tall, handsome king with cruel eyes and a troubled heart. Her own mind turned him into a great hero, and into a character of her own.Years later, Sarah is an up and coming comic artist with a potential comic about her king looking for a champion. As her story develops and takes interest of those that can help get it off the ground, curious events lead Sarah to an old childhood favorite. Could this book help her step off into the success she's wanted, or send her down a new kind of adventure she never thought possible?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> So I read Talespinner a LONG time ago and as it's sat in the back of my head I kind of found the idea of belief connecting the Labyrinth and its world to the human world super interesting and wanted to explore that a little bit myself with this story. Drop some love if you like or if you believe ;)

The night slowly winded down, coming to a close as Sarah's new friends faded back to their world, the small group left behind sat around together with a game of Scrabble. Ambrotious was curled up by his master, snoring softly. The fox in question was actually rather good at his game, happily pointing out when someone else had misspelled something or wasn't an actual word. In the end, he'd come in first and would hold this great victory as one of his highest achievements as a knight. After several rounds into the night, the exhaustion of her adventuring finally took its wear on Sarah. Her eyes grew heavy, and she felt the stirrings of a rumble in her stomach. While it had been maybe four hours in her world, the thirteen hour run seemed to have kept its effect on her.

"My lady, shall we let you rest?" Didymous asked, placing down another high point word.

"No, no, it's okay." She said. "We're having fun."

"But, my lady, you have had a great day, and a great celebration in your honor. You must feel very tired."

"And hungwy." Ludo added, his head tilting in concern.

"I'm okay, you guys. Really."

The three fae looked about each other before Didymous fained a yawn.

"Well, you may not tired, valiant Sarah, but I would say I and my steed are very ready to succumb to a sweet and well earned rest."

"Oh, okay."

And with that, the two shared a hug and Sarah gave Ambrotious a good scratch behind the ear. Sarah turned her back towards Ludo and Hoggle, giving a bitter smile as she realized she had no idea when she would see any of them ever again. Hoggle seemed to sense this, returning his own bitter smile. It was rather comforting to see him in this way, feeling like the sadness building inside her was truly okay as her friends felt the same way.

"I'll see you all again, right?" Tears prickled into her eyes as Sarah walked over and hugged Ludo tightly.

"Of course." Hoggle patted her leg before taking her hand and leading her towards the bed, sitting her down with his handkerchief. "It may not be tomorrow, but you'll see us again. When you need us, we'll be there."

The sincerity in his voice gave Sarah a little hope. She dabbed her eyes gentle and took a deep breath, the rumbling coming out from her stomach like a roar. After a moment of silence, the two started laughing together, and Hoggle produced a peach from his bag of gems. It looked a little bruised from being in a pouch with hard objects, not nearly as perfect as the peach she'd eaten in the Labyrinth. Sarah stared at it, skeptical and unsure.

"I's promise it won't hurt ya. Smuggled it out of the castle kitchens myself, never came in contact with Jareth once." Hoggle promised, placing the fruit in Sarah's hands.

With a trusting smile, she brought the fruit to her lips and took a bite. It was sweet, and just juicy enough to threaten dripping down her hand. Within moments, she'd eaten up the peach and felt it settle nicely in her stomach. Hunger was held back for the night now, and the exhaustion of the events finally took Sarah over. She laid her head down, quickly falling into a deep sleep. Seeing she'd finally succumb, Hoggle took the pit from the girls hand, dropping it in a trash pail feel from her bed, and giving her one last bitter smile.

He'd always wanted a friend, and was sad to know Sarah might not be the life long friend he'd been waiting for.

* * *

  _Sarah's steps echoed as she walked through the marble hall, leading into a large room that looked like it was once where a grand monarch must have kept their throne. But now, it was dim and cast in shadows, the stone glowing pale blue and greys. While Sarah was perfectly aware, just as she had been in the bubble dream, she didn't question her sudden transportation. If she'd felt fully there, feeling the cold stone beneath her feet, maybe then she'd worried. But there was a fuzziness now, a certain dream like quality that kept her from being fully present._

_"Do you like it?" A voice from behind asked._

_Turning suddenly, Sarah was greeted by a regal figure in the doorway. Her figure was tall and full, the dress she wore expanded far around her and was covered in detailed embroidery. The fine designs wove together flawlessly, and almost looked painted on. The colors nearly faded into the dark marble, contrasting with her dark complexion. The woman walked forwards, passing by Sarah and looking upon the room before them._

_"It used to be far more beautiful. We held court everyday, a representative from every kingdom would come and advocate for their monarch."_

_"Advocate?" Sarah asked, her voice small._

_The woman turned, a smile on her face._

_"Best not to dwell on the past. Besides, that's not why you're here."_

_"Where am I, exactly? This isn't the Goblin Kingdom."_

_"Very perceptive." She smiled, motioning for Sarah to follow her towards one of the large windows that lined the wall. "You're not in the Goblin Kingdom, but very near. We used to be very powerful, just as the others. Jareth rules very stubbornly compared to the rest."_

_"Or cruelly."_

_This entertained the woman, a throaty laugh leaving her chest._

_"No wonder you championed the Labyrinth. She's just as stubborn as her king, and she wouldn't have been beaten by an ordinary girl."_

_"No offense, but who are you?" Sarah kept her eyes on the woman this whole time, unsure of what to think as she watched the deep brown eyes scan outside the windows._

_"That's no bother to you, we have business to discuss."_

_"What business?" She demanded. "I beat Jareth, I get to go home with Toby."_

_"Don't worry."_

_Sarah waited for more, but the woman kept her eyes outside towards the village below. The moment grew long until it turned into a minute. Then another. And then another. It was nearly five minutes of silence, Sarah's eyes not moving from the woman once before she looked from the village to Sarah._

_"You beat the Labyrinth fairly, and returned to the mortal world. Not many see the fantastic things you have." She stepped towards Sarah, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It will tear you apart knowing these things, having these experiences, in the mortal world around people who don't."_

_"What are you saying?"_

_"I'm saying you have a choice right now. You can't remember what you've seen and survive, but you can remember one thing. One thing you hold dear from your adventures that you will forever hold in your heart."_

_"What?!" Just the idea of having her memories tampered with by a perfect stranger was enough to make her panic._

_"Please understand that this is for you. We gain nothing from you forgetting. We lose much from you forgetting." The woman pleaded. "But for you to survive, we can leave very little for you to remember."_

_Sarah watched her for a long moment, trying to put together the pieces in her mind._

_"If you don't decide what you want to remember, we'll have to take it all." Her tone seemed almost desperate, contradicting her regal appearance._

_"I..." She stopped and gauged the situation. This must be a dream, as she didn't feel there at all, more like an observer being shown a recording. So the answer would be easy then. Give the answer, and she'll wake up soon. "I want to remember my friends."_

_"Your friends? Is that it?" The woman watched Sarah intently. "If just your friends-"_

_"And Jareth!" Sarah blurted out. "My friends, and Jareth, and everything I learned while there."_

_"So it shall be."_

* * *

A loud rapping at the door suddenly pulled Sarah from her deep sleep, the sun pouring in from outside and casting a golden glow upon the room.

"Sarah, wake up. Breakfast will be ready in a minute." Her father said through the door.

The light pushing through her eyelids forced the young woman to finally open them, her room the same cluttered mess it had been, minus a few key pieces. As the grogginess left Sarah, she walked towards her vanity and looked around for a minute, confusion over coming her. There were missing photographs and trinkets, which usually lined her counter space. But the smell of cooking pulled her away for a moment, reminding her there was more important things like food to think of. Shooting down the stairs, Sarah walked to her place at the table, giving Toby a quick peck on the top of his head.

"Morning, Tobes. Morning, dad." She sat in place, pushing her hair behind her as she dished up scrambled eggs and sausage.

"Good morning, Sarah. Thank you for joining us." Robert said, turning the pages of his newspaper.

"Sarah, are you still wearing yesterdays clothes?" Irene asked, coming around with a bowl of fresh sliced fruit.

"Yeah, I must have fallen asleep in them. Toby really tired me out."

"Really?" She asked, sitting at her own seat and looking towards her husband. "You and Toby must have had a good time."

"Yeah, I guess we did."

Sarah didn't notice the look the two shared as she dug into her scrambled eggs, her parents rather confused that she actually put in the effort to play with her little brother.

"Well, Sarah, I'm going into town to do some shopping. How about we get you some new school clothes."

"Sure." Sarah looked up from her plate, giving a half smile at the idea. "As long as I get some actual say in what I wear."

"Of course, of course!" Irene smiled, scooping the fruit onto her plate. "You eat up and we'll head out as soon as you change into clean clothes."

Irene and Robert exchanged small talk for the rest of breakfast, occasionally staring in awe as Sarah would happily tease Toby with a berry as he waited for her to feed it to him. As soon as she was done, Sarah excused herself and put her plate in the sink, running up to her room and tossing off her vest. Walking to her closet, she began shedding her old clothes, groaning at the strange soreness in her legs and sides. As soon as she was dressed, she started picking up her old clothes and tossed them in her hamper, stopping a moment to examine the trash bin right next to it. Inside was a single peach pit, picked clean of all flesh.

Sarah's brow furrowed for a moment in confusion before she shrugged it off and headed back downstairs.


	2. Chapter 1

Gentle rain patted against the bedroom window, echoing through the near bare room. Besides a bed against the wall, there was a drawing desk up against the window, the grey natural light cast across its paper covered surface, an old vanity in the corner covered in boxes, and an overflowing hamper right next to it. The walls were covered in painted canvases and pinned up sketches of creatures and people. By the door was a large sketch, made up of smaller pages from a sketchbook, of a tall and regal man. His face was sharp but gentle, his mismatched eyes teasing those who dared look him in the eyes, and his figure was tall and slim with a gentle shape to it. It was a stark difference to eight years earlier, when Sarah had covered the walls in shelves of books and posters and toys.

Pushing the door open, Sarah dropped her bag onto the bed and went straight to the desk, rummaging through drawers as her little brother followed in and plopped next to her bag. After a long moment, she sat up in her chair and wheeled it closer, holding out a manuscript with a nervous but determined look.

"Give me your honest opinion, please." She said, holding it out to Toby.

"It's really done?" He asked as he took the stack of pages.

She gave a sharp nod as a smile grew. With that, Toby scooted back on the bed and started reading. Page after page, he flipped through and kept his eyes locked on the manuscript. It was a long while that he read through it, leaving Sarah to her drawing desk to sketch out a few pieces. Eventually, the sound of flipping pages stopped and Toby set the pages onto the bed beside him, folding his hands together thoughtfully. Sarah dropped her pencil and swivelled around towards him quickly, their eyes locking.

"So?"

He took a deep breath before smiling.

"You liked it?"

"Yeah."

Sarah squealed, throwing herself onto the bed and wrapping her arms around her little brother as tight as possible.

"That's exactly what I was hoping to hear!" She left a big, wet kiss on his cheek, laughing as he made a gagging sound and tried pushing her away.

"Sarah, gross!" Toby pushed her face away, still holding the book in his hand.

After satisfied she'd annoyed her brother enough, Sarah hopped from the bed and back to her desk, going right back into the sketch she had been working on while Toby read.

"What's that?" He asked.

"The cover. I can't show it around without a proper cover."

She leaned back and let him look. The delicate lines moved smoothly together, forming a tall, thin man in a dark coat covered in glittering gems. He held his hand out to ask who ever was looking to dance. Behind the man was a room full of dancing and laughing people in masks, some more startling than others, but all beautifully dressed and happy. Sarah had dreamed of this ball many times, and the man asking her to dance. It was always so magical, like a fairy ball that only she was invited to. Few things had managed to live up to the majesty it had given her in her sleeping hours.

"Mmm, I like it. But it seems kinda girly, doesn't it?"

"What?" Sarah looked back, brow knitted together in confusion.

"I mean, look at it." Toby motioned to the page. "It's a guy asking you to dance at a fancy ball. And he's wearing eyeshadow."

"What would you know about what's girly, you're ten."

"Hey!"

Toby tossed back the manuscript, his excitement about it turning bitter.

* * *

For a the first several years of high school, Sarah hadn't coped with the change very well. Her temperment was better, less fighting with her step mother and she was better about not blaming Toby for her dad marrying Irene. But even with that, there was obviously something very wrong. She wasn't doing very well in school, and when her teachers talked to her parents, they reported Sarah wasn't turning in her homework and was barely scrapping by with her tests. Talking to her at home, it turned out Sarah wasn't even doing her homework. She didn't see a point. Robert had worried she had been turning her anger more inward, until finally Sarah started seeing a therapist.

There, she opened up about how she spent most of her time in class daydreaming, she didn't really care about her studies. What was the point of taking boring classes when her daydreams were much better. Even more, why do her homework when she could just sleep and live in her dreams.

 Of course, this was devistating for Robert and Irene to hear. They tried so hard to be there for Sarah, and obviously they had missed something important that was hurting Sarah. She had been adjusting to life without her mother, or so they thought. Her therapist said it could be a chemical imbalance that was causing this depression, and prescribed her medication.

For a couple months they tried that, but things only got worse. Sarah was barely getting a hang on her daydreaming, and while her grades improved she still seemed to distant and despondant. After this, talk therapy continued for months. Then, they finally found something that would help.

For an elective, Sarah signed up for an art class. She took to it like a fish to water. Everyday she brought more and more beautiful pieces for her parents. Showing her therapist, it was obvious to see the positive effect art was having on her. So, she was suggested to try drawing her daydreams.

At home, she'd spend all her time after finishing her homework sketching out the characters she'd thought up, working non-stop until she'd drawn every last one. It was impressive how fast she did it, eventually making every thought into a page. And as her collection grew, a story emerged.

It was the story of a cruel fairy king, a man bored with life and lost without his youthful spark. That is, until one fateful ball. He sees a maiden, instantly pulled to her and desperate to know more. They dance, they talk, they laugh, and the king falls in love. But as quickly as she appeared, she's gone. No name and no idea where she is from. The king finds his spark again and sets on a journey to find this maiden.

Sarah dedicated herself to writing this for months, planning every last page and element to the story. And after graduating, she spent most of her time outside of college classes drawing. Her room became a shrine to her story. Eventually, Toby realized what his sister was doing and became just as obsessed. He loved the story, and would beg her everyday to show him her work. But Sarah refused to show a single page to anyone until she finished the first book.

Now, in her early twenties and holding onto her most precious story completed, she was ready to step into something terrifying. She had to find a publisher.

* * *

_"How are you, my dear?" The woman in the ornate dress asked as she walked arm in arm with Sarah, her free stroking Sarah's soothingly._

_"I'm doing pretty good. My therapist thinks I'm finally all better, makes me pretty nervous to tell her I've been dreaming about you again." She said dreamily, her eyes proccupied with the large garden around them._

_She could tell at one time it had been lush and full of life, but now looked like a blank page of a coloring book. It was odd, but the few other times she'd dreamed of this woman this was how most places they ventured looked. It was like it was in stasis, waiting to be brought to life by the stroke of a paint brush. But this garden begged for it the most. Large rose bushes with umbrella sized roses begged for their  red hue to return, plump fruit trees looked barren without their enticing colors to tell people they were ripe. Sarah felt sad for this world, she'd felt sad for it since the first time she came. That's when her dreams about the fairy king and his sidekicks started._

_"You must be very careful who you tell, mortals don't understand our world very easily." She said, nodding._

_Sarah's eyes traced the woman carefully. She was very beautiful, but her own color seemed to be drained. Her dark complexion seemed dull and lifeless without the rich color Sarah knew she once had. And her beautiful dress was filled with various shades and tones, but lacked the vivid colors it once had._

_"I will be." She muttered. "I just wish I could remember why I dream about you. You're not like my mother, so it can't be me missing her."_

_"That doesn't matter now, Sarah. What matters is you finish your story."_

_"My story?"_

_"Yes." The two came up to a bench in the beautiful garden and the woman sat carefully, her skirt flaring about her. "If people read your story we'll be able to rebuild."_

_"You mean when I get recognition for my work, this world I keep dreaming about will get its color back because the validation of my work will alleviate my depression."_

_The woman laughed at this, patting the bench next to her._

_"Call it what you will, my dear," Sarah took the seat, letting this woman take her hands in hers. "You and your story are very important, and without you this world, and any world you dream of, will not be able to flourish."_

_"Why am I important?"_

_"Because you are the only person who can see people's true nature."_

_Sarah thought on this for a long moment as the woman sat with her. Eventually, the white sun began to set, and shadows began to fall over the garden._

_"Well, I suppose it's about time for you to wake up."_

_"Already?" Sarah looked at her watch, confused as she saw it was only three in the morning._

_"You be careful who you tell about me, okay? Now you have a good day, and don't forget this story is very important. As are you."_

* * *

Sarah's first breath came as a rush before her eyes cracked open and she looked over at her alarm clock. It was only three in the morning, but she felt wide awake. Sitting up, she stretched and threw her feet over the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath. There was no point in wasting the morning if she was feeling wide awake.

Downstairs, she started a pot of coffee for the day and began going through the stack of comicbooks she'd taken from Toby. He read a little bit of everything, and one of these places had to be interested in her comic. She sifted through half of the stack before giving up, finding most of what she thought was a diverse collection was mostly superheroes and action. There wasn't going to be anyone interested in a fantasy adventure comic like hers. It was just a Cinderella story from the princes perspective.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah sorted the books back together into an organized pile.

_Don't forget this story is very important. As are you._

The words repeated themselves in her head as Sarah sipped her coffee. There had to be someone that wanted her story.


End file.
